Bringing Him Our Gifts - Matthew 2:9-11

Being a father of a young child I have the pleasure of watching kids' shows. Nearly all of them have a good moral message.  One of his favorites is The Backyardigans, which I've made reference to before.  On one episode a spoiled princess looks out at Egypt and notices that things are drying up, specifically the Nile.  She wants it to look green again. She's told she must take three presents to the Sphinx.  The journey begins, and at each stop there is a building of the moral lessons.  As it is a man-made story, it all works out for good in the end. The Sphinx sees that she brought the proper presents and the Sphinx makes it fertile and lush once again.

The journey was long and imagine the dissappointment if came to the end without the proper presents?  How would you feel?  Could you just imagine if we had to take three presents to heaven to be allowed in? What about the dissappointment you'd feel if you found that you brought the wrong things, or maybe not enough of the right thing?

If you knew you were going to heaven (particular month, day, time, etc.) and you were supposed to bring something with you, but then finding out they weren't the right things, wouldn't you be a bit disappointed?  The gifts you were supposed to bring were the gifts you already possessed.  As we reflect back to the sermon, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Spiritual Gifts Aren't Chotchkies (collectibles) ~ Some people go overboard with collecting things.  They have curio cabinets or shelves full of little things that they will probably have until they pass on.  These items are dust collectors. Don't let the gifts that God has given you to just sit around and collect dust...use them!
2. God Wants Your Gifts ~ You may look at someone else and totally admire them, almost to the point of jealousy.  They may possess something that is a talent that you wish you had.  Don't think that God is more pleased with them because of their gift.  He's given us different gifts to be different and each one, when used properly, is pleasing to Him.  Enjoy the gifts God has given you!
3. Bring It! ~ A phrase used when a challenge has been set, to see who is going to bring "it" to the table, court, field, etc.  As you serve Him, don't leave yur gifts behind, bring them and use them to glorify Him.

In Matthew 2 the Magi (Wise Men) bring three gifts to Jesus, as they welcome the King.  As you come to Jesus bring your gifts to Him and allow those gifts to be used to benefit others.
 
Bringing it...

 

d



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Where Success Lies

The other day my mom sent me a "forward" that had a PowerPoint presentation about hot chocolate.  You may have received it in your e-mail inbox sometime in the past.  The gist of the presentation is that we do not need to worry about what type of cup holds the hot chocolate.  The hot chocolate is the same in any container.  We often get so wrapped up in appearances instead of content.

When you think about what you're going to do in life, you think about the job that you are going to do.  The job is what you think is going to define how well you do and how well you're looked at by others.  This week's quote made me think about where the success comes from...

That real opportunity for success lies within the person and not in the  job. ~ Zig Ziglar

Each job possesses success.  Not just each career.  A retired person can find great success in a job.  A volunteer can do the same. 

There was a time when I wanted to be "big" in my field.  However, I have learned to rethink that.  "Big" does not mean successful.  "Big" does not mean much of anything in the whole scheme of things.  Many "little" people have done great things in their field/job/career.  "Little" people have changed lives, invented inventions, and scaled giant heights.  

If you're a "little" person in your field, enjoy the ride to the top.  Look for any and every opportunity to see what impact you can make.  These opportunities are all around us if we keep looking.  

We're all different containers carrying hot chocolate.  Our differences make it interesting, but the content is the same.  Remember that success lies in you, not the job.

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What Did You Expect?

My wife is very expressive. It is one of her great traits. I am not so expressive. It is one of my...traits. We tend to joke about this area from time to time because we are very different. Luckily, Oliver is more like his mommy in this area.

Since I tend to not be as expressive, I hate to open gifts in front of people. I love to receive them, but do not like to open them in front of people. The main reason is, I’ve been known to be very unexpressive when I open something that maybe wasn’t what I wanted or expected.

I can’t help but wonder if the people of Jesus’ day were much like I am about gifts? Their ancestors had passed down the prophecy to them. It was always a waiting game, “Could it be this year?” At the time of Jesus’ birth, they had experienced about 400 years of no contact from God. What we know as that time between the two Testaments. God had not sent prophets to shape up the people. So, very few even knew that the time of a Messiah being born was a possibility. Especially, those outside the Jewish faith.

However, once He did come on the scene, how many people thought, “This is it? A child born in Bethlehem? In a manger? From a peasant family?” Joseph wasn’t the Rockefeller of his day, nor was he the Heisman winner of past. He was from a common family. Mary, she was no princess, by heritage. She wasn’t a former Miss Israel. She, too, was common.

Jesus came in common form, to common folks, for a common purpose. He may not have come in a form that some people were expecting. They may have gruffed at the fact that He arrived the way He did, to whom He did. However, regardless, Jesus was the gift that we needed, even if it didn’t look like it in the beginning. Jesus was what they expected, just in a different look. May we praise God for the things that we’re given which we didn’t expect!

What Did You Find? - Luke 2:4-18

My wife and I were traveling to her grandmother's house for the holidays one year and we were following her father's directions.  The car we were traveling in had no overhead light, so she was having to read it by the light that was on the floor, under the dash.  As it was dark when we were getting near her grandmother's house, we were looking to turn at the "green house", or that is what I thought, until I learned, before it was too late, we were going to be turning at the "greenhouse", a plant nursery.  We didn't miss our turn, but we still joke about it each time we drive by there.  We were following directions but ended up with something totally different by the time we arrived at this part of the trip.

Finding something totally different than what we expected is not abnormal.  I kind of think that people may have reacted that way when Jesus was born.  People may think that, today, when they "find Jesus".

Yesterday, we looked at Luke 2:4-18 as the shepherds were looking for Jesus.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Don't pre-plan your trip (too much) - Each day you do much of the same thing.  However, whether you are looking at your day or planning a trip, don't forget to plan for the flexibility of the day.  God may throw something out at you that you never thought was going to be a point in your day of your travels.  The unexpected can make it very interesting!
2. The Unexpected May Have Been Planned - God has a plan and He works it.  Your day may going the way you planned it, but when something happens that you didn't plan on, that may have been God interjecting and saying, "This is what I've got planned".  So, if you didn't get something done, maybe that was Him trying to teach you something or take you somewhere, for your own good.
3. Reveal the Manger - You may have hidden something behind your back, to be later revealed.  You have a treasure behind your back, Jesus.  Bring it around to the front and show people your Savior, even if it wasn't what they were expecting!

The shepherds found Him in a manger.  You found Him somewhere else.  Let others see Him in all sorts of places.


People may not think they were going to see Jesus when they met up with you, but that is hopefully what they'll find!




Share the wealth!



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Book Review - "Called to Worship" by Vernon Whaley

Worship, usually defined as the singing part of church get-together on Sundays.  It is the "place" you invite someone to when you are inviting them to "church".  It is the main emphasis of these get-togethers.  Most of the Christian churches will think of worship as coming from New Testament teachings.  Rarely will we take a peek into the Old Testament when it comes to worship, or its concept.

Vernon Whaley takes his reader through the Bible and investigates different areas of the Bible and how it is involved in worship.  As a Bible student I was greatly intrigued by his weaving of worship and its strategies from many of the books of the Old Testament which I hadn't really thought of taking this concept from.  He also took me into the lives and people, mostly familiar, and showed ways they were worshiping or not worshiping.  He also deepened very familiar areas of Old Testament worship.  I enjoyed how he brought out the Old Testament stories and concepts of worship, the most.  I also enjoyed discussing the time between the Testaments, as a time which God didn't speak to the people, through prophets or otherwise.

I also enjoyed how he started the New Testament and looking at Jesus and his model for our worship, mostly from a personal basis.  However, one thing really, and I can't emphasize it enough, let me down when he brought out the concept of worship from Romans 12:1-2.  He mentioned that the New Testament word for worship is proskuneo, in the Greek.  Which that is the word for some of the words translated worship. But he alluded that the Romans passage was that word used.  He never told us what the word actually is, which is latreuo.  This is a totally different meaning than proskuneo.  I was dissappointed and it let the air out of my sails a bit.

The rest of the book was good, but it was kind of hard to keep my attention, some not being the books fault.  It did wrap up well, speaking from the book of Revelation.

I would recommend one reading it for the Old Testament, especially.  His ability to provide modern day glimpses made it very interesting.  I would recommend the book, but be wary of the ill use or lack of clarifying part of the word for worship in Romans 12.
  




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Don't Just Have an Idea

"I have an idea" is sputtered off by someone you know. Time goes on, and nothing happens. Why didn't the idea come into existence? It wasn't pursued because of any given reason. Possibly because the person became busy and forgot or the idea really wasn't that "good" to keep them going after it.

When one has an idea, it is important to get behind it and see what you can do to make it happen. Otherwise, if left only in your head, it may not see daylight. That brings us to this week's quote...

Your vision is only as strong as your commitment to pursue it!! ~ Joseph Simmons, AKA "Rev Run"

I consider those that "know people" to be lucky. They can almost snap their fingers and the possibility of pursuing a dream comes forth. The man given credit for the quote has a family of six, three daughters and three sons. The oldest two daughters were college-aged when they had an idea...creating a line of female sports fashion shoes with the names of food, aka the sneaker. They called it "Pastry". They're not something my wife would ever buy, but the concept was clever.

As a father, he challenged them to come up with a plan and presentation to give to the company who would market these shoes. They did and the line was created. They have had to keep up doing things to make sure their company stays afloat.

The commitment to pursue doesn't end with seeing the "product". There are more things to do to make sure that the dream is continual. So, if you have an idea, don't just present it to someone, pursue it, and give the commitment it takes to make sure it happens.

What are your ideas???

Looking Forward to Jesus' Second Arrival

You know that anticipation and anxiousness you feel whenever you are expecting a package to arrive? If you’re able to track it online you may check it from time to time to see if it is going to arrive on time. Either way, if you’re like me, you look for that delivery person, be it a postal carrier, UPS, FEDEX, or whoever. You simply cannot wait to receive the package.

I remember two years ago, when I was looking forward to a baby who was going to come into my life. I had looked forward to this “package” coming for 9 months. As I saw the baby on the sonogram, I was elated. Each time I heard the heartbeat, I leaped with joy. Each time I saw or felt the baby kick I just couldn’t wait to hold him. Then the day came that I did get to hold him. I was not disappointed! My son was awesome!

This is the beginning weekend of Advent. In our traditions we don’t normally celebrate or observe it. After being willing to speak at our local Advent “luncheons”, I had to do some looking as to what Advent is all about. The word basically means “arrival”. As December 25th, Christmas, has been set to be the observance of Jesus’ birth, Advent is all about the observance of looking forward to Him coming. He has come once, through a mortal woman in a manger in Bethlehem. For some, that is something to recognize during the holidays. However, there is another “package” that is coming, Jesus’ second coming. When is that going to be, we don’t know. However, we can look forward to His arrival with a sense of awe, anxiousness, and anticipation. That is a reason to celebrate. That is the reason to observe Advent.

I don’t know if I will ever put an Advent calendar or candle in my home to look at through the month. Along those same lines, I don’t expect you to. I think that church people tend to presume a lot about other church people and their traditions based on one’s own traditions, rather than investigation or participating. You may not call it “Advent” but I’ll bet you are looking forward to the time when Jesus comes back!